Hello! It's been a while since I've posted anything, as I’ve been... away, for some time. Some of you might remember me as the creator of the Space Whale page (read: no one remembers that). I thought I might address a few thoughts I’ve been thinking. It’s a bit rambly, but bear with me.

When Zaeed moves you move (just like that).

For those of you who were not aware, Mass Effect 3 is coming out soon. Now, I’ve been known to enjoy the Mass Effect games. They do somethingsthat I like. However, I think it’s important that we address something: the main story in these games is not very good. Sure, certain aspects of it are interesting, but what it boils down to is ‘GIANT EVIL ALIENS ARE COMING TO EAT US AND ONLY YOU THE PURCHASER OF THIS FINE VIDEO GAME CAN SAVE US oh noooes’. You then attempt to stop the evil aliens. While I’m not entirely against this sort of thing, it has frankly been done better. Freespace 2 made the unknown motivations of the Shivans a key part of why they were so fucking terrifying, while simultaneously throwing in a sympathetic antagonist; Bosch's monologues are still one of the best examples of how to succinctly sketch out character motivations in a video game. Alternately, Dragon Age: Origins, the ‘medieval Mass Effect’ released by Bioware itself, hinged on almost exactly the same plot idea – giant army of evil monsters and etc. – but places those enemies in such a bizarre religio-historical context that they become much more than that (when was the last time you fathered a God-baby to save your own life?). Hell, even CoD 4 had a ‘save the world’ ending that actually seemed like the rational outcome of the preceding –and mostly believable– events, which is a hell of a lot better than ‘I’m Commander Shepard, and I’m the only one who knows what’s going on because video games’.

I forget why I made this...

This is not to say that nothing about the story in the ME series is good. Shadow Broker was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had with video games, period, in large part because of how it built off of what had come before. But precisely my point: I don’t want to have to worry about saving the world every time I buy an RPG or action game or the like. Yes, I know there’s plenty of games that have nothing to do with that sort of thing, but when it comes to games like these where the story is supposed to matter in some regard, I at least want there to be more variation.

Which what makes a certain group of upcoming games so interesting for me.

There are 4 or 5 games coming out in the near future that seem to all share a few qualities that, oddly enough, appeal directly to my interests. I have no idea whether they’ll be any good or not, and I’m jaded enough at this point not to get my hopes up, but the ideas that are getting tossed around, and what their developers are saying about them, are certainly interesting.

Trading booty shorts for an ice pick? HOT.

First, we have the New Tomb Raider. I’ve never played a TR game before, I found the movies boring and the character to be a complete turn off. But I’m completely fascinated by what they’re trying to do with this new game. Survival-based gameplay on a desert island, a female protagonist that isn’t embarrassing to play as, and a story that (based on what they’ve said) is more about the main character's development than any evil douchebag archaeologist’s schemes, all sound exactly like what I want to hear. At the very least this could fill the Mysterious Island shaped hole in my heart that’s been empty since LOST ended.

OKAY.

There are two other survival games that have been announced recently as well. Technically, I Am Alive was announced a while ago, but it’s recently resurfaced with new footage, and between that and The Last of Us, survival seems like one of the big ideas of 2012 (or 2013, depending on release whatnot). I haven’t seen all the material they’ve put out for these games, but I’m totally down for anything that has me making my way through busted cities and (more importantly) focusing on my characters issues, rather than humanity’s. Of course, both of those games could totally end up with Grizzled Protagonist Man leading the Rescue of Civilization Itself, but one can always hope. I’m not exactly huge on Post-Apocalyptic settings, but actually playing in one could be a lot more interesting than reading more about everyone dying always.

Well, fuck.

Fourth up is another Grizzled White Dude in Broken City game. Spec Ops: The Line got my interest the minute they said ‘Heart of Darkness’. Nothing makes my day like a good villain, and the concepts they’ve been tossing out about this – breaking down morality, the importance of the villain and your crew’s mentality to the story, and the decision based stuff – well, let’s just say I’m picking up what they’re putting down. I’m a total sucker for getting to make my own decisions in games (despite the fact that it’s usually meaningless), and to do that outside an RPG should be pretty refreshing. Since this is much more of a shooter than the previous 3 games I’ve listed, it’ll be interesting to see how they balance out the gameplay with the kind of story they seem to be going for (I’ve actually been avoiding the new trailers that came out a little while ago, since I know that if I do end up playing this, I want to know as little as possible going in).

When your villain is a selling point of the game, you're doing something right.

Lastly, we return to an island setting but bring our frat buddy FPS along for the ride. Like I said before, I’m all about the villains (although who isn’t, really?), and Mr. Mohawk in Far Cry 3 is my kind of crazy. Sure, the trailer that came out today made the protagonist seem like a douchy college brat, but that could actually totally work if it’s done right (by which I mean it won’t be done right at all, because why would it be?). As with the other games I listed, a lot about this is still up to speculation at this point, and I’m not sure how I feel about what they’ve shown of the gameplay, but hey, if they manage to make it an average tropical shooter with a (relatively) interesting antagonist, I’m totally fine with that.

So, a bit rambly, but there you have it. 5 games, 3 destroyed cities, 2 islands, 4 totally fucked white men and 1.5 poor gals (Last of Us’ fake Ellen Page counts as half), and not a World Threatening Climax in sight. If just one of these turns out to be any good, I’ll count that as a win for me.

Hello! It's been a while since I've posted anything, as I’ve been... away, for some time. Some of you might remember me as the creator of the Space Whale page (read: no one remembers that). I thought I might address a few thoughts I’ve been thinking. It’s a bit rambly, but bear with me.

When Zaeed moves you move (just like that).

For those of you who were not aware, Mass Effect 3 is coming out soon. Now, I’ve been known to enjoy the Mass Effect games. They do somethingsthat I like. However, I think it’s important that we address something: the main story in these games is not very good. Sure, certain aspects of it are interesting, but what it boils down to is ‘GIANT EVIL ALIENS ARE COMING TO EAT US AND ONLY YOU THE PURCHASER OF THIS FINE VIDEO GAME CAN SAVE US oh noooes’. You then attempt to stop the evil aliens. While I’m not entirely against this sort of thing, it has frankly been done better. Freespace 2 made the unknown motivations of the Shivans a key part of why they were so fucking terrifying, while simultaneously throwing in a sympathetic antagonist; Bosch's monologues are still one of the best examples of how to succinctly sketch out character motivations in a video game. Alternately, Dragon Age: Origins, the ‘medieval Mass Effect’ released by Bioware itself, hinged on almost exactly the same plot idea – giant army of evil monsters and etc. – but places those enemies in such a bizarre religio-historical context that they become much more than that (when was the last time you fathered a God-baby to save your own life?). Hell, even CoD 4 had a ‘save the world’ ending that actually seemed like the rational outcome of the preceding –and mostly believable– events, which is a hell of a lot better than ‘I’m Commander Shepard, and I’m the only one who knows what’s going on because video games’.

I forget why I made this...

This is not to say that nothing about the story in the ME series is good. Shadow Broker was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had with video games, period, in large part because of how it built off of what had come before. But precisely my point: I don’t want to have to worry about saving the world every time I buy an RPG or action game or the like. Yes, I know there’s plenty of games that have nothing to do with that sort of thing, but when it comes to games like these where the story is supposed to matter in some regard, I at least want there to be more variation.

Which what makes a certain group of upcoming games so interesting for me.

There are 4 or 5 games coming out in the near future that seem to all share a few qualities that, oddly enough, appeal directly to my interests. I have no idea whether they’ll be any good or not, and I’m jaded enough at this point not to get my hopes up, but the ideas that are getting tossed around, and what their developers are saying about them, are certainly interesting.

Trading booty shorts for an ice pick? HOT.

First, we have the New Tomb Raider. I’ve never played a TR game before, I found the movies boring and the character to be a complete turn off. But I’m completely fascinated by what they’re trying to do with this new game. Survival-based gameplay on a desert island, a female protagonist that isn’t embarrassing to play as, and a story that (based on what they’ve said) is more about the main character's development than any evil douchebag archaeologist’s schemes, all sound exactly like what I want to hear. At the very least this could fill the Mysterious Island shaped hole in my heart that’s been empty since LOST ended.

OKAY.

There are two other survival games that have been announced recently as well. Technically, I Am Alive was announced a while ago, but it’s recently resurfaced with new footage, and between that and The Last of Us, survival seems like one of the big ideas of 2012 (or 2013, depending on release whatnot). I haven’t seen all the material they’ve put out for these games, but I’m totally down for anything that has me making my way through busted cities and (more importantly) focusing on my characters issues, rather than humanity’s. Of course, both of those games could totally end up with Grizzled Protagonist Man leading the Rescue of Civilization Itself, but one can always hope. I’m not exactly huge on Post-Apocalyptic settings, but actually playing in one could be a lot more interesting than reading more about everyone dying always.

Well, fuck.

Fourth up is another Grizzled White Dude in Broken City game. Spec Ops: The Line got my interest the minute they said ‘Heart of Darkness’. Nothing makes my day like a good villain, and the concepts they’ve been tossing out about this – breaking down morality, the importance of the villain and your crew’s mentality to the story, and the decision based stuff – well, let’s just say I’m picking up what they’re putting down. I’m a total sucker for getting to make my own decisions in games (despite the fact that it’s usually meaningless), and to do that outside an RPG should be pretty refreshing. Since this is much more of a shooter than the previous 3 games I’ve listed, it’ll be interesting to see how they balance out the gameplay with the kind of story they seem to be going for (I’ve actually been avoiding the new trailers that came out a little while ago, since I know that if I do end up playing this, I want to know as little as possible going in).

When your villain is a selling point of the game, you're doing something right.Also, Brody's girlfriend is pretty hot... for a fake person.

Lastly, we return to an island setting but bring our frat buddy FPS along for the ride. Like I said before, I’m all about the villains (although who isn’t, really?), and Mr. Mohawk in Far Cry 3 is my kind of crazy. Sure, the trailer that came out today made the protagonist seem like a douchy college brat, but that could actually totally work if it’s done right (by which I mean it won’t be done right at all, because why would it be?). As with the other games I listed, a lot about this is still up to speculation at this point, and I’m not sure how I feel about what they’ve shown of the gameplay, but hey, if they manage to make it an average tropical shooter with a (relatively) interesting antagonist, I’m totally fine with that.

So, a bit rambly, but there you have it. 5 games, 3 destroyed cities, 2 islands, 4 totally fucked white men and 1.5 poor gals (Last of Us’ fake Ellen Page counts as half), and not a World Threatening Climax in sight. If just one of these turns out to be any good, I’ll count that as a win for me.

I'd wait to see how the Mass Effect series ends. I think they'll explain what the Reapers are and why they're doing all this. I've seen achievements and info on the game that suggests that we'll learn the origin of the Reapers. I like how menacing and how badass they are. I don't think I hate how Mass Effect has treated it's main story. It truly is a character story. I don't think I've ever yelled a video game characters name out while playing. I'm truly invested in these characters and my crew, that's what makes Mass Effect so great to me. If I saw Wrex die or Mordin die, i'd be heartbreaking. This is what make Mass Effect 3 so appealing, I want to see the end of my Shepard's journey, yet I'm scared at the same time. I'd say Bioware has succeed in at least creating an emotional story that I've been interested in for a while now. Other than that great read, you've earned a follow dear duder. Keep it up, ho!

I'd wait to see how the Mass Effect series ends. I think they'll explain what the Reapers are and why they're doing all this.I like how menacing and how badass they are. I don't think I hate how Mass Effect has treated it's main story. It truly is a character story. I don't think I've ever yelled a video game characters name out while playing. I'm truly invested in these characters and my crew, that's what makes Mass Effect so great to me. If I saw Wrex die or Mordin die, i'd be heartbreaking. This is what make Mass Effect 3 so appealing, I want to see the end of my Shepard's journey, yet I'm scared at the same time. I'd say Bioware has succeed in creating an emotional story that I've been interested in for a while now.

Sorry to steal your reply ... just took out some stuff and this is my reponse to OP :P

If I saw Wrex die or Mordin die, i'd be heartbreaking. This is what make Mass Effect 3 so appealing,

That's kind of the point I was trying to make. I like cruising around with them, but I don't give a poop about the Reapers. The relatively limited amount of dialogue you could have with your party in ME2 was one of the biggest drawbacks to the game, for me.

Interesting. The extradition, that is, I find myself wondering as to the circumstances of your predicament.

Also interesting are the games you mention. It seems that the industry has started to stagnate a bit and this year (and some of last year) is going to bring some new stuff to the table. Of course good plots not about saving the world/galaxy/universe have been made in video games (Bioshock), but more would be nice. I really want to see The Last of Us, and I really want to see Naughty Dog dig themselves out of the "meh" that has been the Uncharted games. I like them, but Naughty Dog's pedigree shows that they are capable of far more than just pretty graphics and exhilarating movie scenes set pieces. Hopefully The Last of Us will deliver.

What I'm more interested in, though, is Far Cry 3. I've never been able to fully form an opinion on whether Far Cry 2 is good or not simply because it was more complex than that. It did so much right, but it also did so much wrong. This third entry promises at the very least some wide-open battlefields and a villain worth paying attention to, unlike so many other modern shooters (Fuck you, Makarov). Oh, yeah, and very pretty graphics even on consoles, though if the old E3 demo illustrates anything it's that new consoles would be welcome.

Lastly, the Tomb Raider game. I'm not holding my breath, all I've seen of it thus far looks like it will be a QTE heavy linear game, something I don't want. It is, however, intriguing in its ambition so I'll keep up with the news to see if it lives up to that ambition.

@MarkWahlberg: Yeah, but I think they did that for a reason. I don't want the Reapers to have any good qualities or fight for a good reason or really have any backstory. It just seems way cooler to see the whole universe try to unite together and fight a seemingly impossible war. I think all I need was the convo with Sovregner in ME1, that was FUCKING GREAT! I think ME1's story is far better than ME2 in all honesty, also loved Saren as a main antagonist. Back to my point, I think the Reapers are supposed to be uncaring beings that just want to kill everyone. I don't think you're supposed to care about the Reaper, you're suppose to care about the rest of the world. I dunno, I just wanna play it already!

What I'm more interested in, though, is Far Cry 3. I've never been able to fully form an opinion on whether Far Cry 2 is good or not simply because it was more complex than that. It did so much right, but it also did so much wrong.

I've only played bits and pieces of 1 and 2, but I'd agree with you on that. Interesting concepts, but flawed execution and - more importantly- zero flow from one mission to the next. This one seems like it could be more focused, since you have one obvious objective: get the hell out, as opposed to a general 'fuck around in Africa'. Open world is great and all, but without any proper pacing it becomes meaningless.

Also, part of me wants them to bring back the super powers from 1, and part of me doesn't. Maybe if it's just for the multiplayer, that'd be ok.

Lastly, the Tomb Raider game. I'm not holding my breath, all I've seen of it thus far looks like it will be a QTE heavy linear game, something I don't want. It is, however, intriguing in its ambition so I'll keep up with the news to see if it lives up to that ambition.

Yeah, this is honestly the one i'm the most curious about, albeit the most wary as well. At the very least, it looks different from the usual big budget stuff, which is something I can get behind.